Thursday, June 13

DIY Top Knot Jersey Knit Headband

Okay, I had another request for a DIY tutorial so I figured
I’d give it a go.A friend of mine sent
me a picture of some adorable headbands she saw online and asked if I could
show her how to make them.It just so
happens that I’ve been secretly lusting over these beautiful little creations
myself, but haven’t been able to find a tutorial anywhere and I’m way too cheap
frugal to buy pre-made ones.

I took a little trip to Hobby Lobby (where Callie decided
she’d say “hi” to every single person we passed… at least once) and picked up
some jersey knit material.They were a
little on the pricey side so I just got ¼ of a yard per color.I was kinda disappointed in their selection; they
really didn’t have much to choose from.

Anyway, I spent an afternoon trying to figure it out and
finally had some success.This is just
the way that I did it, and by no means am I a professional, so if you can find
a way to do it better, go for it!

What you’ll need:

·Jersey Knit material (or an old t-shirt that you
want to upcycle)

·Sewing machine

·Thread

·Paper

·Straight pins

·Scissors

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Step 1:You’ll want
to cut the material.I played with a lot
of different lengths but found that (for my 12 month old) 22” X 5” worked the
best.

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Step 2: After your material is cut, fold it in half (like a
hotdog).Be careful because this
material likes to roll up on itself.

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Step 3: Take your piece of paper and using a round object
from your house (I used one of Callie’s stacking cups) trace a semicircle onto
the paper and cut it out.This will be
your guide for the ends of the fabric.If you want a more pointed look, you can free hand that as well.I like the rounded look for these headbands
myself.

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Step 4: Using your paper guide, cut out the shape on both
ends of your fabric.

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Step 5: Pin your fabric in place.This is totally optional; I skipped this part
completely because I’m a little impatient…Something I continually pray for. J

Step 6: Sew the edges together.I used a ¼ seam allowance but you can do
whatever, just don’t get too close to the edge because this material tends to
get sucked down into the sewing machine.I also used a straight stitch instead of a zig-zag.In the middle, skip over a little section of
material (backstictch this or it will come apart when you turn it
right-side-out).If you skip this you
won’t be able to turn the material right side out.

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Step 7: Trim the edges

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Step 8: Turn the material right side out

Step 9: (Optional) You can hand stitch the little section
that is left open if you so choose.Because this material folds over onto itself, I just left the hole
there; you really can’t see it when it’s on…

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Step 10: Tie a square knot with the ends.

Now you’re finished!I must say, I’m pretty pleased with the way these little beauties turned
out.They’re very stretchy and
comfortable, Callie didn’t mind wearing it one bit.Feel free to play around with the width,
too.The smaller the width the thinner
the headband will be. You can find my sailor knot headbands now on sale in my etsy shop!

Thanks for the tutorial! Love these headbands and can't wait to make some for my girl and niece! Just curious, how much of the fabric are you losing to the knot? Or would it be easier to ask how big around the headband is once you have it tied? lol I suspect I might be confused when I try to adjust the sizing to fit bigger/smaller :-) I know my girls head is 17" around when I measure for a simple FOE headband so I'm curious how long I should cut the fabric for her.

Great tutorial... Thank you so much for sharing this. I am a beginner sewer! My daughter is home visiting with her hubby, 3 1/2 yr old & her 3 mo old identical twin girls... Can't wait to make some for them this week!

Aileen- I did read another tutorial similar & she stated to sew the headbands WITH a zig zag stitch just so the fabric will continue to stretch! :)

Kim - I would sew it 5" wide and at least 17" long. You'll want it to fit with the tie at about 12" all around. You can always cut and tie the fabric before you sew it to get a good estimate on how long it needs to be. Hope this helps!

Thanks for taking the time to discuss that, I really feel strongly about it and love learning more on that topic. If achievable, as you gain competence, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is highly helpful for me.vintage baby headbands